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RC · 06-04-2018, 09:29 AM

Thanks for the help! It has been repaired and I'll be on the road again tomorrow.

Since my bulgarian is, well, almost non-existent, I had some help in contacting 2 local locksmiths here in Plovdiv. One said he couldn't do it but recommended another guy. He came and at first I wasn't too confident, he just seemed to try to jimmy the lock with some thin metal tools under the cap. He was having no success so I told him to drill or break the cap, but don't damage the tank. He made some drill holes and eventually was able to get the thing free. I think it only came free because he kept fumbling with it until the screws on the bottom came loose and the lock wasn't secure anymore. In fact one scree fell inside the tank. Had to use a magnet to get it out.

His assessment was that a screw came loose and caused the lock to not function, probably beyond the reach of the unlock lever/mechanism. He got it all back together and used loctite on the screws. Charge was about $40 USD, a bit high I thought, but cheaper than ordering a new tank cap and getting it shipped.

I have never paid particular attention to tightness of the inner gas cap fitting. I just filled up the day before and didn't notice anything out of ordinary. I was on some really rough mountain roads and trails for most of that time, like had a wheel come off the ground several times kinda rough, so perhaps it just wiggled and vibrated itself loose.

So, I recommend putting a screwdriver on those to make sure they are tight, or even add some loctite. If you complete/replace one screw at a time, it should hold everything together and be super easy. Pull both out at once and you will have some springs and pieces to fit back together. Oh, and if you do ever have this problem, I think the best way is to drill a hole next to the lower right hex bolt, from there you can access and remove the 8th hex bolt that is under the cap.

Cheers,

Rob

06-04-2018, 09:29 AM	#10
RC Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: EurAsia Posts: 46	Thanks for the help! It has been repaired and I'll be on the road again tomorrow. Since my bulgarian is, well, almost non-existent, I had some help in contacting 2 local locksmiths here in Plovdiv. One said he couldn't do it but recommended another guy. He came and at first I wasn't too confident, he just seemed to try to jimmy the lock with some thin metal tools under the cap. He was having no success so I told him to drill or break the cap, but don't damage the tank. He made some drill holes and eventually was able to get the thing free. I think it only came free because he kept fumbling with it until the screws on the bottom came loose and the lock wasn't secure anymore. In fact one scree fell inside the tank. Had to use a magnet to get it out. His assessment was that a screw came loose and caused the lock to not function, probably beyond the reach of the unlock lever/mechanism. He got it all back together and used loctite on the screws. Charge was about $40 USD, a bit high I thought, but cheaper than ordering a new tank cap and getting it shipped. I have never paid particular attention to tightness of the inner gas cap fitting. I just filled up the day before and didn't notice anything out of ordinary. I was on some really rough mountain roads and trails for most of that time, like had a wheel come off the ground several times kinda rough, so perhaps it just wiggled and vibrated itself loose. So, I recommend putting a screwdriver on those to make sure they are tight, or even add some loctite. If you complete/replace one screw at a time, it should hold everything together and be super easy. Pull both out at once and you will have some springs and pieces to fit back together. Oh, and if you do ever have this problem, I think the best way is to drill a hole next to the lower right hex bolt, from there you can access and remove the 8th hex bolt that is under the cap. Cheers, Rob
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